“I went to Corky’s in Brentwood and ordered … and as soon as I pulled up, (the employee) said, “Oh, What’s up killer?” Griffin said with a smile on Wednesday. “I was like, “Wow.” At one point I was labeled “soft”, and inconsistent and scared to tackle and now I am being called killer.

Griffin has a new reputation after being suspended by the NFL for being a repeat violator of the league’s safety rules prohibiting hits to the head and neck area of defenseless players.

He returned to the team this week after missing Sunday’s game in Indianapolis and will start on Sunday against the Broncos.

Griffin was flagged for unnecessary roughness against the Raiders after hitting Oakland tight end Mychal Rivera in the head/neck area.

He still doesn’t agree with the league’s decision since he felt he went low and didn’t aim at Rivera’s head, and he provided proof to the NFL Rivera didn’t have his helmet properly buckled.

Griffin also made an interesting point when he talked with NFL officials – in the four cases Griffin was cited for making an illegal hit, the quarterback throwing the football was a rookie, most recently Oakland’s Matt McGloin.

Carolina’s Cam Newton, Minnesota’s Christian Ponder and Jets quarterback Geno Smith threw the other passes on the plays that resulted in Griffin being suspended. In each case, Griffin said the quarterbacks put the players in a tough situation.

“At the end of the day, the quarterbacks are not worried about it,’’ Griffin said. “The NFL keeps telling me to lower my strike zone, but when I go low, they are going low, too.”

Anyone else kind of glad we signed Griffin to what seemed like a ridiculous contract at the time? I'm not sure he's earning every dime yet, but he has really picked it up in coverage and tackling. Usually, players get lazy after they are paid. Griffin seems to be doing the opposite. Hope he keeps playing hard nosed football.

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